An Instruction for the 21st Sunday After Pentecost

In today’s Gospel, beloved brothers, there was read a most instructive parable of the Savior, of the sower and the seed. In this parable, as in the whole teaching of Christ the Savior, one plainly sees, brothers, God, seeing through the heart of every person, or, as holy Scripture says, «trying our» hearts and inward parts (Ps 7:10), all that is hidden in them, sometimes even unknown to ourselves, all their spiritual windings and hidden recesses, all their unrighteousness or righteousness. This parable of God the Savior condemns some of us, and casts us into shame and disgrace, and praises others, and brings into their hearts peace and the blessing of God. The matter concerns, brothers, the hearing of the word of God. Attend, then, beloved! The Knower of hearts looks upon you and awaits fruit from His own word, preached to you through me, a humble and much-sinning man. Your own benefit requires that you receive this word with your whole heart and hold it there forever, as a guide for the future, whenever you hear the word of God in church.

«A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold. When He had said these things He cried: he who has ears to hear, let him hear!» (Lk 8:5-8)

The sower, beloved brothers, is Jesus Christ; the seed means the word of God, and the ground is the human heart; a good heart is good ground, while an evil heart, unclean, crushed by the passions, is bad ground. So then, there are some who are inattentive listeners, distracted, who do not have reverence for the word of God, such as they ought to have; and it is to such listeners that Satan comes secretly into their heart, at the very moment they are listening, and, like a thief in the house of careless owners, carries off the word of God from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. This is the word of God sown by the wayside. Learn, then, from this, with what deep attention, with what unwavering faith, the saving and living word of God must be heard. The enemy is forever on the watch to see whether he can somehow make someone inattentive to the word of God, whether he can destroy faith in it in someone’s heart, so that, through faith in the word of God, they might not repent of their sins and be saved. Fix your whole mind upon your heart while the word of God is read or preached, and listen to it, with open, believing hearts, in humility, for the salvation of your own souls, and drive away thoughts of doubt, or other restless and unclean thoughts and feelings, as the devil’s own seed.

Others listen to the word of God readily, with attention, but here is the trouble: they are frivolous, impatient, self-loving, inconstant; in favorable circumstances they believe, but in unfavorable ones they betray their own faith—these are people who have not rooted faith within themselves; this is the seed that fell on the rock. But the faith proclaims that only «he who endures to the end will be saved» (Mt 10:22); and «the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone» (Apok 21:8). And, by the common conscience of mankind, is it not right to require, beloved brothers, that a person be faithful to the end to the one to whom he gave a sworn vow to be faithful unto death—especially if the vow of faithfulness was given by him to one who stands worthy of our whole love and perfect reverence? If we give an earthly king a sworn vow to serve him to the last drop of blood, and count it a disgrace not to keep our vow, and remain faithful to him unto death, then how much more shall we not remain faithful, unto death, to God our Savior, who, having taken our own nature upon Himself, poured out for us every drop of His own blood, and to whom we gave a debt of faithfulness at our baptism? O, may we never fall away from our Lord and Redeemer, whatever misfortune should overtake us! For where should we hide from Him? What should we find without Him? He «has the words of eternal life (Jn 6:68). But there are also still other listeners to the word of God, whose heart is burdened with worldly cares, attached to wealth, and given over to the pleasures of life: they listen to the word of God, understand it, and, as it were, seem to take it to heart; but as soon as they leave the church, worldly concerns at once assail them, or the allurements of wealth, or the pleasures of life entice them—and behold, the word of God, having scarcely found a narrow place for itself in the heart, is crushed by this, as by a leaden weight of worldly cares, attachment to wealth, and the pleasures of this temporal life; and, alas, once again there is no fruit unto eternal life, because the person strains to gather fruit for this temporal life instead. Alas, beloved brothers, such listeners to the word of God are by far the most numerous in our churches. Admit that many of you come to church with a worldly distraction, with cares about satisfying your everyday needs—and if only it were just needs, but often it is about satisfying your own passions and lusts—and so, when the sermon begins, you seem, it appears, to be listening; the sermon ends, and your own favorite thoughts and desires take hold of you again, and you are left without any fruit from the word of God. It also happens, at times, that your own passions and lusts drive you out of the temple during the very preaching of the word of God, and you flee from the words of eternal life. O, that this might never happen again!

Finally, thanks be to God, there have been, at every time, and there are now, listeners who hear the word of God with a good and noble heart, wholly devoted to God and to His holy word, who live without attaching their hearts to earthly things, without being crushed by worldly cares, because they do not consider it necessary to waste the time given them for preparation for the heavenly homeland on deadening and petty cares about clothing, food, and drink. These listeners, having heard the word of God attentively, keep it in their heart and labor patiently throughout their life, awaiting the kingdom of God to come, until, at last, death opens for them the door into it. I know that such listeners are found among you too, beloved brothers. May peace and the blessing of God rest upon you, and may the Lord count you worthy of His own heavenly kingdom.

Beloved brothers! While the word of God is being read or preached, guard most strictly against being distracted, and never sow upon thorns—that is, upon hearts overgrown with passions and lusts. Listen, all of you, to the word of God with a good and noble heart—that is, with a heart of living faith, with good and holy thoughts. Amen.